Chapter 477: Money Is Not a Problem

Dylan Dawson was momentarily stunned, but then his eyes lit up. “What is it?”

“Have your son acknowledge him as his godfather. From now on, in your son’s eyes, he and you will be on equal footing nominally. Future generations will treat him just as they treat you, ensuring his memory is honored with offerings and care. You were brothers in life, and you’ll remain brothers in death.”

As she spoke, Arabella Donovan glanced at the quiet boy trailing behind Dylan Dawson. She wondered if Mr. Dawson would be willing to make his only child a godson, or if the boy himself would be happy about having an extra godfather.

Dylan Dawson hadn’t expected this to be Arabella Donovan’s suggestion. But after calming down to think it over, he had to admit it was an excellent idea.

He had catered to that mother and daughter’s every whim for years, thinking they were, at the very least, carrying his friend’s bloodline. As long as he was around, he could ensure his friend’s memory was properly honored.

But what would happen after he was gone? Without any descendants to honor them, wouldn’t his friend and his friend’s parents become lonely, wandering spirits?

But now, there was a solution. By having his son become his friend’s son, the two families would merge into one. They would truly become one family, and all these problems would be solved in one fell swoop.

However…

Dylan Dawson glanced guiltily at his son. He didn’t dare make such a big decision on his behalf.

“I’m willing.”

Unexpectedly, it was the young Tristan Dawson who was the first to make a decision.

“Leo, you… do you know what you’re saying?”

Tristan Dawson shot his old man a disdainful look, as if to say, ‘Are you going deaf at your age?’

“I said I’m willing. I’m willing to acknowledge him as my godfather, and from now on, I’ll treat him as a father and be responsible for honoring his memory.”

Seeing that his father was about to say something else, Tristan Dawson thought for a moment before speaking his mind. “Dad, you’ve always told me that Mr. Webb saved my life and Mom’s life, and that we should repay him.”

Dylan Dawson froze. He had indeed told Tristan this several times, hoping it would make him treat that mother and daughter better.

Now that he knew the truth, his perspective had shifted, and Dylan Dawson couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed.

He’d always heard people talk about “outsourcing filial piety”—when a son does nothing while his wife serves his parents. Was this what he was doing? Outsourcing his debt of gratitude?

‘It was my debt to my friend, yet I was making my own child help me repay it…’

Before Dylan Dawson could get bogged down in his thoughts, his son continued, “I agree with what you said. The situation back then was so dangerous. Without Mr. Webb, I never would have been born. You and Mom gave me life, but Mr. Webb gave me a life, too. So there’s no problem at all with me acknowledging him as a father.”

“Leo, you…” Dylan Dawson looked at his son with a complicated expression. He was gratified by how sensible and well-behaved his son was, but also a little dejected that his son was so eager to become someone else’s.

“Besides, it’s better to repay this debt to Mr. Webb himself than to some unrelated nobodies. That’s what I call an effective way of showing gratitude.”

What Tristan Dawson left unsaid was that repaying a debt to a dead person was far less trouble than repaying one to the living. There were no conflicts of interest, and he wouldn’t have to worry about ending up like his dad, who nearly ruined himself trying to repay his debt. It was all pros and no cons. All it meant was having another father in name only and tending to a few extra graves. It was nothing.

Dylan Dawson had no idea what his son was thinking. He just felt like his son was taking a subtle jab at him. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he ultimately said nothing.

Arabella Donovan, however, had a vague idea of the boy’s calculations and couldn’t help but marvel.

‘Are all kids this precocious these days?’

The members of the Donovan family, who were watching from the sidelines: “…” ‘No, most kids are definitely not this precocious!’

And so, the matter was settled. Before leaving, Dylan Dawson thanked her profusely, the smile on his face visibly brighter. It was clear that Arabella Donovan’s suggestion had lifted a great weight from his mind.

Overjoyed, the man—who was certainly not short on cash—immediately transferred several million more to the account Arabella Donovan had used before.

“…”

Arabella Donovan glanced at the numerous bags of expensive gifts he’d brought, then at the transfer notification that had just popped up on her phone. Her lips twitched. With a sigh, she decided against arguing about keeping things separate and simply asked Dylan Dawson a question.

“It’s been so many years. Do you still think about your younger brother?”

The smile on Dylan Dawson’s face froze. It wasn’t that he didn’t think about him; he was just stunned to have the topic brought up so suddenly.

Once he processed it, he became incredibly excited and nearly rushed forward to grab Arabella Donovan’s hand for more information, but Justin Donovan blocked his path, forcing him to stop.

“You… You mean you can help me find my brother? Is he still alive? Has he been doing okay all these years?”

By the end of his question, Dylan Dawson’s eyes were red. Years ago, several of his younger siblings had died tragically and his youngest brother had gone missing. Overnight, he had become the sole survivor, and he’d nearly given up and joined his family in death.

But he’d clung to life. He met his wife, and they supported each other, built a new family, and had new loved ones. Only then did things start to get better.

But through all those years, he had never given up the search for his brother. A sliver of hope kept him going—the belief that as long as he never saw a body or received news of his death, his brother could still be alive somewhere in the world. They would still have a chance to see each other again.

And now, Arabella Donovan was bringing up his brother herself. How could he not be ecstatic?

“Judging by your features, your brother is indeed still alive. And while he’s faced hardships over the years, he’s doing reasonably well now. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“It’s just that the environment he’s in now is not safe. Dangers lurk all around. It seems calm on the surface, but in reality, a deadly threat hangs over his head. A single misstep could lead to a point of no return. If he can get out in time, that’s fine. If not, I’m afraid you two brothers will be torn apart again right after you’ve reunited.”

Dylan Dawson’s heart pounded in his chest as he listened. He secretly wondered what on earth his brother was doing for work that sounded so incredibly dangerous.

‘This won’t do.’ He had to find his brother as soon as possible and convince him to quit his job and come home. As the older brother, he had plenty of money. He could support him for the rest of his life!

“Please, Miss Donovan, show me the way. Money is not an issue.”

With that, Dylan Dawson pulled out his phone again to transfer her more money, which startled Arabella Donovan into stopping him.

“You don’t need to send me any more money. You already paid me for the matter with that mother and daughter back on the show. Our transaction was complete, and the karma settled. You brought so many gifts today and just sent me another payment. Let’s just consider that my fee for finding your brother.”

It took some convincing, but Arabella Donovan finally managed to stop Dylan Dawson from sending her more money. Without keeping him in suspense, she went on to tell him the basics of Tim’s situation.

As soon as he had the information, Dylan Dawson took his son and left without a moment’s rest to find his brother.